PIT BOX: West Hits The Road In Return To Utah

The ARCA Menards Series West will return to racing this weekend with a unique doubleheader in Utah.

The Utah Motorsports Campus will host the ENEOS/Sunrise Ford Twins presented by West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame, a pair of 30-lap championship races, Saturday evening on its 2.2-mile course.

The event will feature a road course ringer as well as the resumption of the West title chase. Both races will air live on Trackpass on NBC Gold.

ENEOS/SUNRISE FORD TWINS presented by WEST COAST STOCK CAR HALL OF FAME

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

Jesse Love made his ARCA Menards Series West debut in February with a runner-up finish at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 15-year-old from Menlo Park, California, stepped into the No. 19 NAPA Power Premium Plus Toyota and will arrive at Utah as the defacto points leader as Bullring race winner Sam Mayer is not entered.

Love will be joined by a quartet of his Bill McAnally Racing teammates, Lawless Alan, Jesse Love, Holley Hollan and Gracie Trotter.

On the other side of the championship fight are Sunrise Ford Racing drivers Trevor Huddleston and Blaine Perkins,

Perkins was third at Vegas and Huddleston, who finished fourth in the West standings last year, was fifth.

They may all be chasing Will Rodgers.

The 25-year-old, originially from Maui, Hawaii, has four wins across the East and West — all on road courses in the No. 7 for car owner Jeff Jefferson. He’s won at California’s Sonoma Raceway, New Jersey Motorsports Park (twice) and Watkins Glen International.

 

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Excited to be racing the ARCA West race this weekend @utahmotorsportscampus and to be back with my Jefferson Racing guys! Let’s go chase those 🏆‘s @nascarroots

A post shared by Will Rodgers (@willrodgers_) on Jun 23, 2020 at 6:26am PDT

Jefferson cars have been dominating on the East and West on road courses.

In addition to Rodgers, who was runner-up at Watkins Glen in 2018, Noah Gragson swept the two-day doubleheader at Utah the last time the West visited in 2016, and was runner-up at Sonoma that year in the No. 7. Kevin Harvick drove the No. 4 for Jerry Pitts over runner-up Rodgers, in the No. 7, at Sonoma in 2017. And Gragson returned to the West to put No. 7 back in Victory Lane last year at Sonoma.

The driver with the most experience at Utah is also the only other one with a win there.

Todd Souza will be making his eighth start in the No. 13 Central Coast Cabinets Toyota. The 55-year-old from Aromas, California, scored his only career win in 2008 on the 3.060-mile course. He has three top 10s, including a fifth in the second race in 2016.

RACING REFERENCE: Previous West races at Utah | West Drivers at Utah | 2020 ARCA Menards Series West Standings

RACE FACTS

RACE CENTER | ENTRY LIST | RACE EVENT GUIDE

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The starting field for the ENEOS/Sunrise Ford Twins presented by West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame is limited to 22, including provisional positions. The field 1-18 will be set road course qualifying procedures for the ENEOS/Sunrise Ford Twins presented by West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame. The remaining six spots will be awarded through the provisional process. This event will be run under the 2020 ARCA Menards Series rules, procedures, regulations and specifications.

QUALIFYING: Race #1 starting position will be set by each car’s fastest recorded lap in the qualifying session. Race #2 starting position will be set by each vehicles fastest lap from Race #1. No adjustments or repairs may be made on car after taking the green flag at Start/Finish line.

RACE PIT STOP: Pitting during this event will be for making repairs and adjustments only, no tires or fuel can be changed or added..

The ENEOS/Sunrise Ford Twins presented by West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame will be two 30 laps (66 mile) championship races.

The maximum tire allotment available for this event is as follows:The maximum tire purchase at track for the event is as follows: eight (8) tires for practice, four (4) tires for qualifying and to begin the race (each event) for a total of sixteen (16) tires.